Playing Games With Campaign Finance

Late last week it initially appeared that legislators were poised to address some needed campaign finance revisions when the state House of Representatives passed an amendment to an election reform bill. The bill will be sent to the Senate, but because there is no agreement between the two chambers on needed reform, the bill faces an imminent demise in the Senate.

We are very disappointed in the House and Senate leadership. The Citizens' Election Program, Connecticut's program of public financing for state elections, was passed in 2005, making Connecticut a national leader in campaign finance reform. The public financing program proved enormously successful in the 2008, 2010 and 2012 elections -- increasing citizen participation and allowing a more diverse pool of candidates to compete.

Unfortunately, the law was modified and diluted in 2013 to weaken disclosure and coordination rules and allow special interest money to flow into candidates' campaigns, subverting the intent of the Citizens' Election Program.

The citizens of Connecticut deserve more than game-playing with reforms that are vital to the health of our democracy. We strongly urge House and Senate leaders to come to agreement on Substitute Senate Bill 1126 to enhance transparency and stop outside spenders from coordinating with candidates, as well as close the loopholes that allow special interest money to sneak into the coffers of publicly financed candidates.

Cheri Quickmire, HartfordThe writer is executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut.